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Windward Islands

The Windward Islands
Windward Islands 1886-1903
Windward Islands 1903-1958
the non-existent red ensign

See also:

The Windward Islands

Geographically the Windward Islands of the Caribbean are those islands between Martinique in the north and Grenada in the south. The islands included in the British colony of the Windward Islands were different. When established in 1834 it consisted of Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent and Tobago. St Lucia was added in 1838, Barbados was detached in 1885, Tobago was detached in 1889 and Dominica was added in 1940.

A Governor-in-Chief was responsible for the whole colony with a Governor or Administrator in each island.

There were no special flags for any of the Windward Islands until badges were approved for Barbados and Tobago 1870, Grenada and St Lucia 1875, and St Vincent 1877. They would have been for use on the Blue Ensign, and on the Union Jack for the Governor or Administrator of the individual islands.

In 1886 a badge was introduced for the Governor-in-Chief, for use only on the Union Jack.

Theoretically the Administrators of the individual islands, at that time Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent, should have stopped using a defaced Union Jack. This was probably done in Grenada and St Vincent, but in St Lucia the Administrator continued to use a Union Jack defaced with the badge of the island.

The Leeward Islands were organised as a Federal Colony with one badge for all the islands, used on the Blue Ensign and the Union Jack. The Leeward Islands Federation was dissolved in 1956 and flag badges were introduced for individ